365 Albums 301-315

1. Under the Iron Sea Keane 2006
2. Bingo Ekseption 1974
3. Bonaparte's Retreat (Chieftain's 6) The Chieftains 1976
4. October U2 1981
5. Phaedra Tangerine Dream 1974
6. Dark Sky Island (deluxe) Enya 2015
7. Roll Back Horslips 2004
8. Logos Live Tangerine Dream 1979
9. Focus at the BBC Focus 1976
10. America America 1972
11. Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival 1968
12. Live at Trading Boundaries Thijs van Leer 2015
13. Mindmirror Ekseption 1975
14. Swung Vol 2 Swung 2014
15. Look Away Doc & Merle Watson 1978

365 Albums 151-165

1. War U2 1983
2. The Yes Album Yes 1970 (M31)
3. Saved Bob Dylan 1980
4. The Chieftains 5 The Chieftains 1975
5. Tanx T Rex 1973
6. Peace Eurythmics 1999
7. Paradise Found Maddy Prior & the Carnival Band 2007 * (J5)
8. Focus X Focus 2012
9. Birds Trace 1975
10. Mind Wave Cyril Havermans 1974
11. Slow Train Coming Bob Dylan 1979
12. Let it Be The Beatles 1970
13. Introspection 3 Thijs van Leer 1977 (J10)
14. Underwater Sunlight Tangerine Dream 1986
15. Ekseption 5 Ekseption 1972

365 Albums 136-150

1. Ekseption 3 Ekseption 1970
2. Come away with me Norah Jones 2002
3. Live at the Priory Jan Akkerman 1997*
4. The Celtic Harp Tribute to Bunting The Chieftains (& Belfast Harp Orchestra) 1993
5. Thunder from the Blue Sky The Vlatko Stefanovski Trio 2008
6. Beatles for Sale The Beatles 1964 (M20)
7. Every Valley Public Service Broadcasting 2017
8. After the Break Planxty 1979
9. Green River Creedence Clearwater Revival 1969
10. Pilgrim Days Indelible Grace 2 2008*
11. Platinum Mike Oldfield 1979
12. Willy and the Poorboys Creedence Clearwater Revival 1969
13. Sounds of Silence Simon & Garfunkel 1966
14. Chariots of Fire Soundtrack Vangelis 1981
15. Spiral Vangelis 1977

365 Albums 106-120

1. Five Bridges The Nice 1970
2. Trinity Ekseption 1973
3. It's only just begun Solution 1980
4. Hymns and sacred songs Leigh Nash 2011*
5. Unforgettable Fire U2 1984
6. Boof! Tony Remy 1994
7. Pilgrimage Wishbone Ash 1971
8. John Barleycorn must die Traffic 1970
9. Ricochet Tangerine Dream 1975
10. The Chieftains 7 The Chieftains 1977
11. Rise Gabrielle 1999
12. Instrumental Hymns Thijs van Leer et al 1996*
13. Hergest Ridge Mike Oldfield 1974
14. Trilogy Emerson Lake & Palmer 1972
15. Lonesome Road Doc & Mere Watson 1977

(* Suitable for Sunday playing IMHO)

365 Albums 1-15

I'm trying to listen to 365 albums this year. Here are 15 I've already listened to.

1. Argus Wishbone Ash 1972
2. Introspection Thijs van Leer 1972*
3. Aranjuez Jan Akkerman Claus Ogerman 1978*
4. T Rex T Rex 1970
5. Please please me The Beatles 1963
6. Guitars Mike Oldfield 1999
7. Heaven and Hell Vangelis 1975
8. Antarctica Vangelis 1983*
9. Titanium Flag Colin Harper 2017
10. Ekseption Ekseption 1969
11. Stratosfear Tangerine Dream 1976
12. American Pie Don McLean 1971
13. Hymns Page CXVI 2009*
14. Close to the Edge Yes 1972
15. Emerson Lake and Palmer Emerson Lake and Palmer 1970

(* Suitable for Sunday playing IMHO)

Retro Album "of the week" 39 Ekseption 3

We have referred before on this blog to Dutch band Ekseption's third album Ekseption 3 again from 1970 but not discovered by me until some time after that. The album is based around Le Petit Prince a brief allegorical work by Antoine de St Exupery.
It includes both instrumental and vocal tracks. The tracks are Peace Planet/B 612/Morning Rose/Piece For Symphonic And Rock Group In A Minor (A) Part One: Passacaglia (B) Part Two: Painting/Lamplighter/Bottle Mind/On Sunday They Will Kill The World/Another History/Rondo.
The band draw on Bach, Beethoven and Rachmaninoff as well as the skills of leader the late Rick van der Linden. It is the rich classical vein plus the use of St Exupery (who I knew nothing of prior to finding this album) that leads me to rate this album so highly. The use of a vocalist was a one off for Ekseption and it worked well.

Cassette 03 Saint-Saens

Not sure when I got hold of this Camille Saint-Saens tape from the eighties. It contains the organ symphony (Peter Hurfiord and the Montreal with Charles Dutit) and the Carnival of the Animals (Dutoit again with the London Sinfonietta and Roge and Ortiz) which is such great fun (I think I first had it on a cassette for children). I must have been aware of the third symphony before the film Babe (1995) which uses the Scott Fitgerald, Yvonne Keeley song (If I had words) based on it but may be not. I saw it performed at the Royal Albert Hall recently. The Danse Macabre I have known longest via the Dutch band Ekseption.

Alan Davey, etc

My old friend Alan Davey breezed through here the other night asking questions. See his blog here. I got a brilliant find on the Utsira question thanks to someone on the island itself. The wonders of the internet. (Talking of which I could also find the Norwegian for many thanks [tusen takk] at the flick of a key. See here. Looking for a pic of Alan I also discovered that there's an Alan Davey in the rock band Hawkwind [Do you wanna ride in my silver machine, See yourself going by in a silver machine?] which I'd not known).

Anyway, the point of this post is that Alan (who clearly has a poor taste in music as he also took exception to Ekseption - official site here) asked about the phrase 'bang to rights' and I can't find anything about it on the net, beyond the fact it's criminal/police slang, which I might have surmised. Anyway can anyone out there help us?

Peace Planet

I should have passed on this edited (1:54) version of Peace Planet (based on Bach) from Ekseption when we were looking at concept albums. The set features the late great Rick Van Der Linden. This is from 1971. Excuse the hair.

Top Concept Albums 5

At number 5 is Dutch band Ekseption's third album Ekseption 3 from 1971. The album is based around Le Petit Prince a brief allegorical work by Antoine de St Exupery. It includes both instrumental and vocal tracks.

Tracks:

Peace Planet/B 612/Morning Rose Piece For Symphonic And Rock Group In A Minor A) Part One: Passacaglia/Lamplighter/Bottle Mind/On Sunday They Will Kill The World/Another History/Rondo. The band draw on Bach, Grieg, Rachmaninoff and Mozart as well as the skills of leader the late Rick van der Linden. It is the rich classical vein plus the use of St Exupery (who I knew nothing of prior to finding this album) that leads me to rate this album so highly. The use of a vocalist was a one off for Ekseption and it worked well. Samples can be found here (Tracks 25-33)

You can read about St Exupery's book here.